Las Vegas / Labor Day 2006

Our typical Labor Day escape is to a nice relaxing place to go and play some golf with our son. But this year, he couldn't come along so we decided to do something different and still head to the desert. So off we went to Fabulous Las Vegas.

We found you can't really relax in Vegas and it's no longer a cheap city to visit, but you can still have a great time. This mini vacation was a little more energetic than normal, despite spending a couple of days by the pool. We recommend staying only 4 nights, the city is exhausting and your wallet gets thinner very quickly.

When we arrived at the Las Vegas airport, we used the airport check-in for Caesar's Palace (located right in the baggage claim area). This saved us a lot of time because the check-in lines at the casinos can be very long.

We were by the Venus Pool within an hour after getting off the plane. The Venus is their European style pool (topless), perfect for Cheri. During the week it's free, but at weekends they charge $30 for men and $25 for women. You don't have to be a guest of the hotel to visit the pool because it's run by Pure Management.

On the weekend, Cheri received complimentary entry each day which was nice. We loved the privacy and exceptional service. At one time we counted 40 people at the pool and 22 attendants/ waitresses. Photographs are not allowed, but we did sneak one or two.

The first night we decided to stay in the hotel and meet up with a friend, so after a quick nap we all met at The Shadow Bar for a drink or two before dinner. Here provocative shadow dancers and world-champion flair bartenders keep you entertained in this sensual lounge.

It's easy to lose track of time and soon it was 10:00pm and we hadn't even had dinner yet! So we settled on dinner at Hyakumi in Caesars. Very good sushi and quick service especially if you sit at the sushi bar. After more drinks at the Shadow Bar we headed out for a walk on the strip We were amazed the masses hadn't arrived in Vegas for the holiday weekend so we had some great photo opportunities.

No point sleeping in Vegas so the next morning we got our exercise by walking a few miles along the strip. We were fortunate to see the first water show at The Bellagio before heading back to the Venus Pool for another day of relaxation.

Friday night we had tickets for the new Cirque Du Soleil performance of "LOVE" at The Mirage. This is an atypical show by this group of performers. It's set to the music and songs of The Beatles and is like live-action music video that follows their music through it's various phases. It was an incredible night and well worth the price.

After a superb and energetic performance we couldn't sleep so we ventured back out to the strip to see what was happening. the masses had arrived for the 3-day weekend, but we were still able to sneak a few fun shots. Cheri started by trying to get this guy excited, but he was stone cold.

Saturday we moved over to The Renaissance Hotel for one night. We spent the day doing some more relaxing sightseeing as we had plans for a crazier night.

We started out with lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe.

We started at the MGM and New York, New York and then took the tram to Mandalay Bay to visit Red Square and the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign.

If you're up for it, you can walk to the sign from Mandalay Bay (less than 1 mile). If that's too much for you in the hot desert sun, taxis will take you to the sign and wait while you take photos. Just don't expect to walk down and catch a taxi back. Driver's won't stop for people on the side of the road so you have to be prepared to walk both ways.

After having a martini in Red Square we decided to come back for dinner and have an exciting night by going in their "cold room". If you buy a bottle of vodka ($200 or more) you get to go into their cold vodka room. To keep you warm they give you an Ushanka and a long Russian fur coat. You can stay for as long as you can stand it and do whatever comes in to your head. Which is not much after a few shots of very potent spirit in nearly freezing temperatures. First though the heat of the vodka sets in and then the fur coat gets you a little warmer. So something had to give for a while and this time it was Cheri's dress. Tony was freezing but he soon warmed up thanks to Cheri!

You don't just pay for the bottle and try to drink it while in the "fridge", you can have the barman mix you drinks while having dinner, then take the bottle in and if there is some left you can take it home with you. At $12+ per martini, it's really not a bad deal. It was certainly a different experience, but that's what Las Vegas is for.

After a great night's (morning's) sleep we moved back to Caesar's for another day by the pool and one last night. Because our room wasn't ready by the end of the day they upgraded us to their Penthouse Floor. This surely was for a "whale" and all we had done was rack up few nice bar tabs.

We took our last walk along the strip and stopped in the Seahorse Lounge for a nightcap which specializes in martinis and champagnes. It also has 360 - degree aquarium filled with seahorses and exotic fish.

One last flash from Cheri, gosh she was in a flashing mood this weekend. We had to be up early as we were catching a 6:00 am flight home. Thought about staying up but that Penthouse Suite was something we did not want to waste, even though we only had about another four hours left to enjoy it.

Notes on Vegas

It's not cheap anymore.

You still have to pay for great service.

The casino buffets have been replaced by wonderful restaurants.

It's great place to people watch.

You can have a lot of fun without gambling.

It's still very sexy

Get to the airport early!!

The next morning we had a 6:00am flight back home. As is our style, we planned on leaving the hotel at 4:30am. What we didn't count on was the fact that the Pure Club at Caesar's closes at 4:00am and the taxi line was about 30 minutes long. Luckily the Bellman noticed several of us in line with luggage and pulled us to the front. Still, if we hadn't been Premier travelers we wouldn't have made it through security in time for our flight. Las Vegas is the one city where "arrive 2 hours early" is a good rule.